Kringl (Rescued by the Alien)

Chapter 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

K ringl hurried toward the workshop. The shouts of elves searching houses had ceased, which gave them a brief window of opportunity, and he was not going to waste it. Not with Joy counting on him.

As they’d run behind the shops and houses, Tom had gathered a few more like-minded villagers, all eager to see the end of endless Christmas Eve. They moved as quietly as possible over the hard-packed snow, boots crunching and warm breath puffing from their mouths and vanishing instantly.

The setting sun made the clouds glow purple, and long shadows stretched toward them from the forest. The cold air bit at Kringl's face, but he barely noticed, his focus entirely on the mission at hand. A palpable tension hung in the air, as if the very village itself was holding its breath, waiting to see what would unfold.

When they reached the back of the workshop, Tom whispered to the other villagers, “You create a distraction at the front.”

Kringl reached for the snow squirrel on his shoulder and gave him a pat. “Snowball, you know what to do."

The creature chittered in acknowledgment before scampering toward the window he'd used before. As the humans ran to the front of the building, Kringl turned to Tami.

"I can't let you go in again," he said firmly. "It's too dangerous."

Tami's face fell, but she quickly brightened. "Wait! I remember a door on the other side. I unlocked every door I could find, just in case."

Kringl was impressed by the girl's foresight. They crept around the building, finding the door Tami had mentioned, although if she hadn’t told him it was there, he wouldn’t have seen it. It was flush with the rest of the wooden beams, a hidden entrance with no knob. Luckily, Tami had pushed it open from inside and created a sliver of space. Kringl slipped his fingers into the narrow gap and tugged. It opened, and he let loose a breath.

“Ready to go in again?” He looked down to ask Tami, but she was already slipping past him into the building.

Tom twitched his shoulders, and the two followed the girl. Inside was not what he’d been expecting or what Tami had described. It was complete chaos. Snowball was actively wreaking havoc in the cooking area, knocking over bowls and sending elves sprawling as they tried to catch him. The massive replicator was belching plumes of smoke as well as producing piles of gray sludge where it should have been creating delicious dishes. Screeches were met with the clatter of falling cookware as Snowball continued to evade capture.

It was better than Kringl could have planned.

"This is our chance," Kringl said to Tami. "Lead the way."

He and Tom hugged the walls to avoid flying pans, following Tami's lead until they reached the large red door. With a deep breath, Kringl pushed it open, revealing the glowing, humming orb just as the girl had described.

Kringl had never seen anything like it. The orb pulsed with an otherworldly light, and he could sense its power even from across the room. It was larger than he'd imagined, and for a moment, the task of destroying it seemed daunting. Then he thought of Joy confronting the alien who had installed such a machine, and his resolve hardened.

"Spread out," he instructed Tami and Tom. "Look for any kind of switch or control panel."

As they searched, Kringl approached the orb. Against his better judgment, he reached out to touch it. The moment his fingers made contact, energy surged through him. Gasping, he snatched back his hand.

“Nothing here,” Tom shouted over the humming orb.

“Or here,” Tami called, holding her hands to her mouth to make a megaphone with them.

With no other obvious way to disable the orb, Kringl reached for his blaster. "If all else fails, brute force should do the trick.”

He didn’t know what would happen when the device was destroyed, but he was out of time. He had to take down the Velsnickel before he realized what was happening and sent in a fleet of elves.

He took aim and fired. The orb flared brighter, but Kringl didn't stop. He continued firing, even as the light became blinding, and the humming grew to a deafening roar.

He waved an arm at Tami and Tom. “Run!”

But Tami didn’t run. She screamed, her hands clamped over her ears.

Just when Kringl thought he couldn't take any more, the orb turned red and started to pulse. He stopped firing and leapt toward Tami, shielding her with his body as the orb exploded in a burst of blinding light.

The building shook and debris rained down around them. Then, suddenly, there was no sound. Nothing but the ringing in Kringl's ears as he shook his head.

He remained hunched over Tami with his eyes squeezed so tight they ached. He didn’t want to move. As long as he stayed curled over her, she was fine, she was safe. As long as he didn’t stand up and check, Tom was also safe. But he knew he couldn’t stay immobile for long.

He had to know who was dead or alive. He had to find out if destroying the orb had worked. Then his thoughts turned to Joy. Had he succeeded in freeing her, or had he just made everything worse?

Kringl opened his eyes.